Sweden, 2006

Let me start, Madam, by

saying how pleased we are to see you presiding over

the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. You

have our full support.

The latest cycle of violence in the Middle East

and the recent escalation in Darfur have once again

highlighted the need for a strong multilateral response

to global challenges. Last year’s World Summit set out

an ambitious agenda on how to strengthen the United

Nations. Reform efforts must continue. The decisions

made here in New York during the sixtieth session

should be translated into concrete results in the field.

For too long, people in Darfur have suffered the

appalling consequences of conflict. Our common

efforts must be intensified to end the fighting and

violence, to ensure respect for human rights and

international humanitarian law and to end impunity. A

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United Nations peacekeeping force should be allowed

to protect the people in Darfur. We urge the

Government of the Sudan to accept such a force. A

continued African Union force presence is crucial for

the humanitarian situation and the transition towards a

United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur. We urge

rebel groups that have failed to sign up to the Darfur

Peace Agreement to do so. Sweden stands ready to

contribute to a United Nations mission in Darfur. We

need to live up to the principle of the responsibility to

protect that we accepted at last year’s Summit. The

Security Council must show the will to act when

civilian populations are threatened by the most serious

crimes.

A comprehensive approach to the conflict in the

Middle East is urgently needed, with the strong and

increased involvement of the international community.

Positive contributions will be required from key

countries in the region, including Syria and Iran.

The events this past summer have shown that a

solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and long-

term security for Israel are objectives that cannot be

achieved by military means. Negotiations are the only

avenue to peace. The Stockholm Conference last month

resulted in immediate steps to extend support for

Lebanon’s early recovery. It is vital that we sustain our

commitment to Lebanon’s reconstruction and to the

strengthening of its sovereignty. Full implementation

by all parties of Security Council resolutions 1559

(2004) and 1701 (2006) is needed. Sweden is currently

preparing a military contribution to the United Nations

Interim Force in Lebanon.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies at the core of

the tensions in the Middle East. The vision of an

independent and democratic Palestine, living side by

side with a secure Israel, based on the implementation

of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338

(1973), must be revived and concretized. Israel’s right

to exist should be unequivocally recognized by all. We

condemn rocket attacks against Israeli territory.

Terrorist attacks can never be justified and must end.

Sweden remains concerned at the humanitarian

situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Humanitarian

access must be guaranteed, and humanitarian law

should be observed throughout the occupied

Palestinian territories. The expansion of Israeli

settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories must

stop. This settlement policy should instead be reversed

as it undermines confidence in a credible political

process, as does the building of the barrier on occupied

Palestinian territory.

The situation in Iraq is serious, with its negative

impact on security in the region and beyond and with

untold suffering of innocent civilians. We need to help

the Iraqi people build a future free from war and

internal strife.

With an estimated 27,000 nuclear weapons in the

world, we have to make progress in addressing the

threat posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Disarmament and non-proliferation are crucial to world

security. They are interlinked. We must press ahead for

progress on both issues.

The international community’s concerns over

Iran’s nuclear programme must be met. No one wishes

to see an isolated Iran. Our wish is for Iran to take its

rightful place among nations in international

cooperation. But neither would we like to see an Iran

that pursues a nuclear weapons option. The Weapons of

Mass Destruction Commission, led by Mr. Hans Blix,

has presented a large number of constructive

recommendations in its report, entitled “Weapons of

Terror”. These recommendations offer a way forward

towards disarmament and non-proliferation.

There are over 1.1 billion people living in abject

poverty in our world today. Well over 100 million

children do not attend school. It is true that there has

been progress. The number of extremely poor has

declined by 130 million since 1990. Since the

Monterrey Conference in 2001, aid has increased by

over $50 billion.

The World Summit gave increased attention to

development issues, forging a vital link between

security, development and human rights in the fight

against poverty. But this is not enough. If we are to

implement the Millennium Development Goals by

2015, we have to do more. The primary responsibility

lies with the developing countries themselves. They are

in charge. Good governance must be the guiding

principle at all levels. Donor countries should actively

support the efforts of the developing countries to

reduce poverty and lend their full support to

developing countries in their efforts to increase their

participation in international trade.

The High-level Panel on United Nations System-

wide Coherence provides a unique opportunity to

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revitalize the support of the United Nations to the

developing countries. If the Organization can become

more effective at the country level, it will be able to

mobilize more resources and ensure that they will

reach the countries in need.

Sweden has always given high priority to the

strengthening of the United Nations. During this

session, it is essential that we stay focused on

implementing the decisions already taken and continue

to seek agreement on outstanding issues from the

Summit.

We created the Peacebuilding Commission as a

tool to assist countries in managing the difficult

transition from post-conflict situations. The country-

specific commissions should now deliver results,

beginning with Burundi and Sierra Leone.

The Human Rights Council must be a body that

reacts firmly against violations of human rights.

Thousands of innocent men, women and children

have been killed across the world through acts of

terrorism. This global threat can only by met by

collective action by Member States. That is why we

adopted the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism

Strategy (resolution 60/288) in the General Assembly a

couple of weeks ago. It sends a strong political

message that terrorism is unacceptable in all its forms

and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever

and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes one of the

most serious threats to international peace and security.

The Strategy should now be implemented, with full

respect for human rights. Let us also build upon this

achievement to agree on a comprehensive convention

on terrorism during the current session of the General

Assembly.

The world needs a stronger and more effective

United Nations. In order to realize this, we need to

make further progress in Secretariat and management

reform. While a number of initial steps were taken

during the past year, some key reform proposals have

been deferred to the sixty-first session. These need to

be adopted and implemented.

The United Nations reform process will be

incomplete as long as the Security Council remains

unchanged. If we want its decisions to be genuinely

accepted as legitimate and effective, we must reform

the Council to better represent the world of today. This

is a difficult but vital area of reform. While expanding

the Council, we must safeguard its efficiency.

Therefore, there should be no extension of the veto

power. The use of the veto should be limited.

The General Assembly will remain at the heart of

the United Nations. During the past 12 months, by

agreeing on a number of essential reforms, the General

Assembly has in many ways revitalized itself. Let us

now continue to make full use of the broad mandate of

this crucial body, representing all the Member States of

the United Nations.

The time has come to build on the achievements

of the United Nations over the past year and to seek

solutions to the issues where we have been unable to

agree. The time has come to prove that the United

Nations can continue to make a difference — in Darfur,

the Middle East or wherever there is conflict, poverty,

and human suffering.